Poison Chalice
by briroch
Summary: This is a response to a challenge from the SOSF writer's group. Rudy Olson asks Mike to cover for him while he is away on holidays. What could possibly go wrong there? A lot, as you will see!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: A big thank you to Tanith 2011 for her great beta reading. And a big thank you to all my readers, too!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters, I only borrow them for a little while...

**Poison Chalice**

**_ June 1973: _**_**The Big Secret**_

Steve Keller was getting seriously worried about his older partner, Detective Lieutenant Michael Stone. Normally the two men had a relaxed and friendly relationship which involved a lot of mutual trust and respect, but recently Mike had become withdrawn and easily irritated. Whenever Steve approached him about something he brushed him off brusquely.

Steve sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the stiffness in the muscles. Like it or not, he had to talk to his friend or the tension between them would drive him around the bend. He carefully approached the Lieutenant's glass cubicle, balancing two overfilled coffee mugs. Mike barely looked up and only acknowledged the presence of the young detective with a grunt.

Steve perched himself on the corner of Mike's desk and watched him silently for a while. Eventually Mike looked up and glared at his protégé. "What do you want?" he asked gruffly.

Steve hesitated. "I thought we could go for lunch… " "

Too busy. I might grab a sandwich later on. "

"I'll get us some sandwiches and maybe we can talk while we are eating?" Steve suggested.

"No time," Mike replied curtly.

"Can I help you with something?" Steve asked tentatively.

Mike looked at him, steely eyed. "You want to do something for me? Then move your butt off my desk and git!" The harsh words had barely tripped off his tongue when the older man already regretted them.

Steve looked at him with a genuinely hurt expression on his face then left the office, abandoning his untouched coffee. Through the glass partition Mike watched his friend picking up his jacket and closing the door behind him.

"Steve!" he called after him, but the young man had already left. _Now, Mike, you'd better sort this out soon. You had no reason to vent your spleen, when all the kid wanted to do was to help you…_ When Mike saw Steve's car outside the building but didn't see his partner in the canteen, he had a fair idea where to find him. Yes, there he was, sitting quietly on a bench in the park, throwing sunflower seeds to the pigeons. Mike approached him carefully, expecting a well-deserved frosty looked up and scattered another handful of sunflower seeds among the greedily pecking birds.

"Can I sit down or are you going to bite my head off?" Mike asked.

"The last time I checked it was you who was biting heads off. For no reason, might I add," was the cool reply.

"True. And I'm really sorry. Can I join you and your feathered friends for lunch?"

Steve shrugged, still quite hurt by Mike's out of character behaviour.

The older detective sat down and put a brown paper bag between them. "I brought us some lunch. Your favourite sandwich…"

Steve remained silent. Mike unwrapped his sandwich and started eating. "Oh, come on, Buddy boy, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said that and I admit it, I was in a foul mood."

Steve looked up. "And what about yesterday and the day before?"

Mike sighed. It was rare he had to admit defeat, but his friend had a point there. "I am sorry about that, too." He handed Steve the bag with the remaining sandwich. "You can always feed it to the pigeons, if you don't want it, though I would consider it an awful waste of money. You wouldn't believe how much they charge for those sandwiches these days…"

Steve's smile was still a bit cool, but it was a smile nevertheless. Mike let out a sigh of relief and patted Steve's knee. "Look, Buddy boy, there is something on my mind and I really wanted to talk to you, but nobody must know about it…"

Steve looked up with concern. "You're not sick or something?"

"No, I'm fine. But you know Rudy will be retiring soon and he asked me if I was interested in the position…"

Steve scoffed. "Oh that! Norm is making a book on it already!"

Mike's face showed his surprise. "He – what? How does the man get his information? Whose office has he bugged?" He leaned over towards his friend and asked in a low voice: "What odds did you get?"

Steve's voice rose with barely suppressed anger. "What odds did I get? I was excluded, because they all think I have inside information." Some hurt crept back into his voice. "And you never told me a thing!"

"Look, Rudy asked me to keep it confidential. I have until tomorrow to make up my mind. How was I supposed to know there was a leak?"

Steve was not completely convinced. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time you take on a new position without letting me know!"

"Now wait a minute! I didn't tell you that time because you were laid up sick," Mike defended.

"But you were visiting me every day and never said a word!" Steve accused.

"Because I didn't want to bother you with work related things!" Mike replied, voice raised.

"Bringing me reports to type doesn't count as bothering me with work related things?" Steve yelled back.

"You could have said no, couldn't you? And besides, who was whinging about being bored and wanting something to do?" Mike checked himself. "Look, I'm sorry. I actually told you the moment it was official and besides, I was only covering for Rudy for three weeks."

And what a three weeks they were. The two men looked at each other in horror as the memories came flooding back and all of a sudden the tension between them was gone…


	2. Chapter 2

_** December 1971- Thursday 17th**_:

_**Decisions, decisions! **_

"Well, Mike, you are the obvious choice! You are my lead detective and the most senior member of my team."

"Aw, Rudy, I don't know. I'm not one for paper pushing; I'm best out on the streets."

"Sure, Mike, but think of it as a new experience. You're not getting any younger and a few years down the line you may be glad to do more paper pushing. "

"But what about Steve?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mike, the boy will survive three weeks without you. It will do him good to work with someone else for a while. Team him up with Haseejian. Once Norm realizes how much potential the youngster has, he might even stop teasing him," Olson suggested.

"And who will fill in for me?" Mike asked, still far from convinced.

"I think Roy can look after Robbery and Homicide for three weeks. Tanner can assist him. Now, Mike, I want to hear a yes!"

Stone reluctantly agreed, he realized he didn't really have much say in the matter as Rudy's mind was made up.

"You start on Monday and I can go off on my trip to Australia to visit my niece for three weeks without having to worry about a thing. I know you will take good care of the Department and the City!"

Mike was still very apprehensive when he arrived at his partner's flat later that evening. Steve had been laid up with a bad case of the flu for the past week and was only beginning to recover now. Mike knocked on the door to give the patient a fair warning to return to a prostrate position on the sofa, before he let himself in with his key.

"And how's my buddy boy tonight?" he greeted his friend.

"I'm fine; I think I can go back to work tomorrow!" Steve replied.

"Oh no, you won't! You heard what the doctor said yesterday. You are to take it easy for a few more days!" Mike wouldn't hear of it.

Steve was slightly consternated. "Of course I know what the doctor said, because I was there and I was supposed to be there. You, on the other hand, gate crashed a private consultation…"

"I wouldn't call it gate crashing, my boy; I was only exercising my rights as your next of kin! If you recall, you asked me if you could give my name as next of kin. So there!"

Steve scoffed, but knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Jeannie sends her love and some soup." Mike went to the small kitchen to heat up the meal he had brought with him. His daughter Jeannie was home from College for Christmas already and like Steve, had ducked the flu vaccination, so Mike kept the two of them apart to avoid Jeannie catching the virus, too. _And next year, I swear, I'll bring them both for the jab even if I have to drag them!_

While Steve ate the soup under his friend's watchful eye, they chatted about work related things. "And by the way, Steve, Rudy asked me to fill in for him while he is away on holidays!"

Steve spluttered and nearly choked on a spoonful of soup that went down the wrong way. Between laughing and coughing he struggled to get his breath back. Mike had expected some sort of reaction but nothing like that! With a hint of wounded pride he asked, "You find that funny, don't you?"

Steve wiped his watering eyes with the back of his hand. "No Mike, no better man than you, but I just had a vision of you completing all the reports that Rudy no doubt will leave for you… and the end of year statistics and…" he doubled over laughing again. "Oh, he really got you there!"

Mike swallowed. Rudy certainly had handed him a whopper. He looked at Steve pensively. "Oh no, man, no! As the captain you won't have a partner who obligingly types up all your paperwork. But cheer up, you'll have a secretary." Steve started giggling again. "For the typing at least. I don't think that she will actually compose the reports the way I do."

Mike grabbed him by the neck and shook him playfully. "Wait and see how Haseejian likes your sense of humor!"

"Ah no, Mike, that's low!" Steve complained. "Ah yes, and it was actually Rudy's idea, so there is no sense in arguing!" After Steve's teasing, Mike quite liked the idea of Steve having to work with Haseejian, who had a wicked sense of humor.

Steve grinned again. "I'll be back on Monday, I'm not gonna miss out a day of your reign as Captain." He looked at Mike. "And before you say anything, the Captain will be too busy to check on who is out sick and who is back, that's a Lieutenant's job. By the way, who's filling in for you?"

**_December 1971- Monday 20th: _**

**_The Mystery of the Missing Figures _**

True to his word Steve was back on Monday, but Mike didn't see much of him, nor did he see much of anyone else, as a matter of fact. He was too busy going through all the notes that Rudy had left for him, notes on all the reports that needed to be completed before the year was over. He also thought that it might be a good idea to start to assemble the figures for the end of year crime statistics.

This was how Steve found his mentor when he stuck his head into the Captain's office on his way home.

"Don't stand there gawking, come in!" Mike sounded distracted, though his face lit up when he saw his friend.

Steve flopped himself down on a chair opposite Mike and watched him with badly concealed amusement. "Are you looking for something?"

"What do you think wise-guy? Do I look like a man who pulls apart all these files for his personal entertainment? I'm trying to find the figures for the 1971 statistics. I've got Robbery, Vice… yep, I have them all bar Homicide!"

Steve suppressed a grin. "I remember distinctly that Rudy sent a memo out before I was off sick, asking for the figures. I even put it up on your noticeboard!"

"Thanks a bunch! You know I didn't have the time to get it done with you being out sick and…."

Steve interrupted him, "You mean, I didn't have the time to compile them for you as I was out sick…"

Mike gave the pile of papers on his desk an angry push. "I won't give Devitt the satisfaction to catch me out on this. Is he gone yet?"

"I should think so, and everybody else is on their way home, including myself…" Steve decided to let his friend stew for a bit.

"Steve, come on!" Mike pleaded. "Your college education really comes in so handy for jobs like this…" "

Honestly, I hate to let you down, Mike, but I promised Jeannie to take her ice skating tonight."

"Jeannie? Oh my, she was expecting me for dinner, too. Now buddy boy, how about I fix things with Jeannie and you sneak over into my office like a good boy and start working on those Homicide statistics for me?" Mike appealed to his partner's better nature.

Steve pretended to study his fingernails.

"You ungrateful little wretch! Do I have to remind you who looked after you when you were sick? Brought you food and orange juice? Mopped your fevered brow? Made you take your pills?" A menacing edge crept into the senior detective's voice.

"Enough, enough, I get the drift. Of course I'll help you out, but under one condition: You let me listen in when you talk to Jeannie. I might learn something important about dealing with women…" Steve grinned and picked up the extension of the phone. "By the way," He held up a brown paper bag. " I got us some sandwiches. I somehow knew it was going to be a long night!"


	3. Chapter 3

_**December 1971- Tuesday 21st: **__**The Attack of the Killer Bug**_

"What do you mean, Roy? You don't know whether to deal with this in your capacity as Lieutenant of Homicide or Robbery? If there is a dead body it is Homicide! If someone steals the body it is Robbery! Just send Steve and Haseejian and after they report back to you, you can decide if it was a robbery gone bad!"

Mike slammed down the receiver and swore under his breath. On a busy day like today he certainly didn't appreciate Roy Devitt's attempt at humour. There had been a recent spate of pre-Christmas break-ins and he knew Robbery was busy, but Homicide was equally busy.

_Looks like a joint venture between the two departments,_ he thought and with a pang of regret imagined how nice it would have been to work the Homicide case with Steve and maybe get some inside information from Irene Martin from Robbery. _Irene…_ he mused. _Not cooperating with her on a case doesn't mean I can't ask her out for a pre- Christmas drink! _He took a peek at the staff rota and found out that Irene was due to go off duty early. He grinned and admitted to himself that the boring desk job at least had one distinctive advantage.

Around three, Mike decided to catch up with Steve. He felt that after the all-nighter his protégé had pulled to help him out with the despised paperwork, he at least owed him a coffee and a donut. He eyed his little office with longing and was surprised to find Steve's desk empty, although Haseejian was definitely on the premises._Very unusual for partners… Was there a conflict looming?_ Mike went straight over to the Armenian detective who stood with Lessing and Tanner, telling an obviously funny story.

"Norm? Where is Steve? Is this the way you look after your partner?"

"Wait a minute, Mike! I certainly haven't harmed your boy. On the contrary, I brought him home and provided him with tea and sympathy. You couldn't have done it better yourself!" Haseejian feigned being deeply wounded.

"What do you mean you brought him home? Is he sick?" Mike was equally confused and concerned.

"You can say that again. Last time I saw him he was puking his guts out!"

"But he was fine last night!"

"He was fine this morning too when we went out to the crime scene. By the way, the kid is actually shaping up well - very professional and sharp - I must say, and very kind hearted! He was questioning a neighbour of the deceased, an old geezer who had only come out of hospital the day before and was poorly. The kid insisted on staying with grandpa until the doctor arrived and fair play he even cleaned up after the old dear!"

Mike listened with trepidation. "What exactly was wrong with grandpa?" he asked.

"Nothing much, I guess, just puking…" "

Okay, guys, I'll just pop over to Steve and check on him. Could one of you try and find out what was the matter with the neighbour?"

Norm obliged fast. "Sure Mike, I'll do that and I'll even try and find out what happened with our original corpse!"

"Very funny!" Mike shot him an angry look. "I'll be back in an hour or so. Oh no! I am supposed to be at a meeting with the Commissioner and the Mayor in half an hour. I plumb forgot!"

"What did you forget, Mike?" Irene had approached the group of Homicide detectives.

Stone filled her in quickly and Irene offered straight away to go and check on Steve. "I'm off now; I just wanted to drop theses files on recent robberies that fit the modus operandi of this morning's homicide. I'll call in on my way home and see if he needs anything."

"Thanks, Irene, I really appreciate this and I'd like to make it up to you somehow…"

"Lovely, Mike! I'm meeting Jeannie tomorrow afternoon for a bit of shopping, so how about we all get together for dinner?"

Not exactly what Mike had in mind, but definitely better than nothing…

For the next couple of hours Mike was too busy with the demands the new job entailed but when he returned to his temporary office he found a small pile of phone messages waiting for him. He quickly sorted through them and started returning calls beginning with Haseejian

"Hi Captain! The good news is that our stiff didn't die of excessive puking; the preliminary finding is that he was killed by a blow on the head with a blunt instrument. The bad news is that the neighbour suffers from an infection with a thing called Norovirus, otherwise known as Winter Vomiting Bug. His doctor actually rang to warn us about it. It's not dangerous, just extremely infectious…"

Mike's thoughts jumped ahead. _Steve. Norm. Irene. Who else?_

"Boss- are you listening? The doctor said the virus is still active even after the vomiting has stopped, so the patient has to stay at home for another two days."

Mike's brain went on overdrive.

"Mike, do you want me to stop by the kid on my way home? Irene thought he was quite poorly but she can't call back, she arranged to go shopping with Jeannie today instead of tomorrow…"

"No!" Mike interrupted. "You stay away from him. If he needs checking, I'll do it!"

In spite of the highly contagious nature of the bug Mike decided to visit Steve on his way home. He trusted his strong constitution; after all, he wasn't called Iron Mike for nothing!

Steve was worse than his partner had expected. During Mike's stay, he had to rush to the bathroom several times and all he wanted was to be left alone. Even during the worst of the flu he had always enjoyed Mike's company.

"Steve, will you promise to ring me if you get worse over-night?" Mike urged.

The young man nodded obediently, eyes closed.

"And Steve, if you are not better by tomorrow morning, we'll get you to a doctor, okay?"

"Mike, if I'm not better tomorrow morning, you might as well call the undertaker for all I care!" 

Coming home, Mike found his daughter surrounded by shopping bags and no indication that dinner preparations were under way. He sighed and suggested a pizza, while Jeannie showed her purchases and talked about the dinner that she and Irene were going to cook the following was happy that his motherless daughter could enjoy female companionship, but he felt a little uneasy when he realized that Irene might be carrying the dreaded bug.

_Like myself,_ he reminded himself.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: For everybody familiar with the Norovirus- for dramatic reasons I have shortened the incubation period of the virus. After all, there is a crime to be solved, too!_

_**December 1971, Wednesday 22**__**nd**__**: The Puke Has Hit the Fan**_

After a hearty breakfast with an equally well and rosy looking daughter, Mike arrived at work feeling perfectly fine.

As promised he had stopped at his partner's house and found him as unwell as the night before, but a phone call to Steve's doctor didn't prove to be beneficial at all_. "Norovirus? Stay away from my surgery! Get him to drink plenty of fluids and keep him warm. He'll be fine in a few days and when you catch it, just do the same!" _

"Thanks for nothing" Mike muttered and urged Steve to drink some more water, but all that was achieved was another bout of nausea and yet another trip to the bathroom.

"I'll check on you later on and maybe we can get you to eat something…" _Wrong suggestion, Mike_ he said to himself, when he saw his friend grasping the bowl he had strategically placed near the patient's bed. He patted Steve's shoulder as he left the room. "Okay, let's try a cup of tea instead when I come back. See you!"

Everyone in Robbery, including Irene, seemed to be present and accounted for. Mike sighed with relief and exchanged a few pleasantries with Irene, telling her how much Jeannie had enjoyed their shopping spree and how much they all looked forward to their dinner date.

_Maybe only Steve will get it. After all his immune system is still weakened from the flu…_ Mike was hopeful again.

But things looked differently when he walked through Homicide…

Haseejian was absent and Tanner looked decidedly peaky. "Bill, don't wait until it gets worse. Go home immediately and make sure your kid won't come near you!"

A phone call to Haseejian confirmed Mike's worst fears. Norm had felt absolutely fine until he got up in the morning, but then… The narrative ended as the victim of the vomiting bug ran for the bathroom.

In the course of the day, four more detectives from Homicide had to go home with the same symptoms. Roy Devitt, in charge of Homicide and Robbery, and deprived of his right hand man Tanner, was reluctant to send any relief staff over to Homicide, in case they came down with the same virus.

* * *

Mike was mighty glad to leave the Hall of Justice for home, sweet home, made even sweeter by the prospect of finding not only Jeannie and Irene there, but a gourmet meal, too.

His only worry was Steve, who was still as sick as he was in the morning, though to Mike's satisfaction he kept half a cup of weak tea down. Then he gave in to Steve's pleas to leave him alone so he could feel miserable in peace.

After all, he had promised to be home on time, and no matter how badly he felt about leaving Steve the way he was, it was impossible to bring him home and risk infecting Jeannie, too.

Mike ran up the stairs to his house with a spring in his step. Yep, he could definitely get a whiff of some very pleasant cooking smells, but when he opened the door he could get a whiff of something else, too…

Jeannie was waiting for him at the door, wide-eyed and visibly upset. "Mike, it's Irene… We were having such a great time fixing dinner together and all of a sudden she started getting sick!"

Mike heaved a heartfelt sigh. "Where is she now, sweetheart?"

"In the bathroom. She said she wanted to go home, but there is no way we can let her go home like this!" Jeannie was adamant.

"No, darling, of course not. Will you organize some pajamas for her, while I get the spare room ready?" Mike resigned himself to the fact that nothing at all was going to plan.


	5. Chapter 5

_A big** thank you **to all my readers and reviewers, especially the ones I can't contact by PM! On that subject: Smithy- would you put your challenge for the story to someone else maybe? I'm quite busy with some other projects I'd like to finish!_

_**December 1971, Thursday, 23**__**rd**__**: Christmas Preparations**_

After a very restless night, an exhausted Mike took his leave from his two patients. In the course of the night Jeannie had succumbed to the virus as well. On his way to work he checked on Steve who had at least stopped throwing up but was still reluctant to eat or drink in case he provoked another bout of vomiting. He was a bit more alert and had started fretting about bringing the virus into the department and causing all the trouble. Mike was not quite sure if this was a sign of recovery or not, but this thought was soon blown out of his mind when he arrived at the bureau. The dreaded bug had reached Robbery too and, among others, had claimed Roy Devitt. So, on top of everything else, Mike had his own job back- and some.

"Janet, can a man get a cup of coffee around here?" he begged Olson's secretary. "Janet?", he called again, but got no answer. He looked outside and found the woman, pale and sweaty, propping herself up on to the back of her chair. _There goes my help with the typing!_ The unkind thought only lingered in Mike's mind for a split second, before he took control. "We'll have you home in half a tick, but I hope you won't mind us sending you in a taxi. We just can't afford this bug to spread among the black and whites…"

After organizing some coffee for himself, Mike took stock on the sick count. So far only Homicide and Robbery were depleted and he was determined to leave it at that. He hoped that the first victims of the virus might be back on duty by Sunday, but until then things might get worse. So he had to prioritize the cases the remaining staff could realistically deal with.

And then there was Christmas… shopping, putting up the tree, last minute presents, cooking… although he wasn't sure if Jeannie or anyone else would have much interest in food at all. He picked up the phone and dialed his home number. Once he knew that Jeannie and Irene were alright on their own, he would call a meeting with the remaining staff and see how they could cover two departments until Sunday.

At lunchtime Mike managed to rush to the shops and pick up some groceries that might be suitable for his group of convalescents and quickly selected some last minute presents, a perfume for Irene, a bracelet for Jeannie and a book for Steve. _Not very creative, but at least there would be something to put under the Christmas tree… if I ever manage to get the tree up!_

What could he do but soldier on?

Going home, Mike felt marginally better about the situation. Although the sick toll in Robbery was still rising slowly, it seemed to have come to a standstill in Homicide. Like Mike, Lee Lessing and Dan Healy seemed to be immune to the bug, so maybe between them and with a lot of luck they might be able to cover the department over Christmas. _But with my recent track record to attract trouble we'll probably have someone going on a killing spree on Christmas Eve, strangling people with a string of fairy lights…._

Only one more call on the way home and Mike could concentrate on his nursing duties for the rest of the evening.

* * *

"No way! I could never impose on you like this!" Steve was adamant.

"Steve, for once- just do what I say and don't argue!"

"I couldn't possibly…"

"Do you have to make my life even more difficult than it already is? Just tell me where you keep your stash of pyjamas and come with me!" Mike was at the point of losing his cool.

"Sorry, Mike." Steve's indignation had deflated suddenly and he obediently staggered towards his bedroom and flung a few clothes into a bag.

"I didn't mean to yell at you, but honestly, don't you realise how much easier it'll be for me to have everybody in the same house?" Mike reasoned with his protégé.

Steve looked dejected. "I know, and it's all my fault anyhow…"

"Oh, cheer up, buddy boy; you will be in the company of two charming ladies who agreed to let you have the spare room. It's close to the bathroom, you know. And on that subject, do you want to bring a bowl for the ride or will a plastic bag do?"


	6. Chapter 6

_**December 1971, Friday 24**__**th**__**: Christmas Eve and Cabin Fever**_

With the roster that he had worked out with Healy and Lessing, Mike felt mildly confident that there was a chance to get through the next few days.

After lunch he even found the opportunity to ring the morgue and ask about a detailed post mortem report on the homicide that had happened on Tuesday. _Seems like a lifetime ago _Mike thought as he waited for someone to pick up the phone.

"Post- mortem reports? You must be joking, Mike! Are you aware that your boy must have visited us right before he got sick and shared his bug with us? I'm the only one left, but I'm hoping to resume normal services after Christmas," Bernie ranted.

Mike reluctantly rang Haseejian at home to get some more information on the murder. After all, he never had a chance to complete the report and the last thing Mike wanted to do was waste his sparse resources on duplicating what had already be done. Norm readily filled Mike in and promised to write the report at home. "If it wasn't for this quarantine thing I'd be back tomorrow," he assured Mike.

Yes, things were definitely looking up. Maybe he could even get Steve's account of the interviews that he had conducted. _Maybe I should bring a decent typewriter and a ream of paper home over Christmas …_

* * *

When Mike entered his living room late in the afternoon, he was moved by the homely scene he saw. Irene and Jeannie were sprawled on the carpet, engrossed in a board game, obviously having great fun. Steve stretched out on the sofa, face hidden behind a magazine. He felt almost left out, when nobody immediately acknowledged his presence.

"Hi honeys, I'm home!" he called out cheerfully.

At least the two ladies looked up from their game now and appeared suitably happy to see him. He noted with delight that Jeannie seemed to have bounced back from her bout of illness incredibly fast and Irene, even though still looking a bit off-color was lively and well.

"Only Steve here is still malingering," Jeannie informed her father, nose scrunched up with disgust.

Mike was bewildered that his normally patient and caring daughter could express such a critical opinion on a fellow suffer.

"If he just did what we told him to do all day, he would be much better now, like myself and Irene here." She sounded a tad smug.

The look Mike got from Irene was definitely of the "_I HAD THEM ALL DAY NOW IT'S YOUR TURN" _type.

Self-righteously, Jeannie continued, "He won't eat and he won't drink. How is he supposed to get any better? And then he deliberately went broke at Monopoly so he could go and lie on the couch again!"

Definitely an acute case of Cabin Fever, which must have taken its toll on his daughter's good nature.

Steve glanced at him from under the magazine.

"I'm happy to see that you two have recovered so well," Mike winked at his daughter. "Don't worry about Steve, I'll sort him out!" He winked at Steve too and in a mock stern voice told him, "Now, you better come next door with me, young man. I have a bone to pick with you!"

Steve scrambled up from his horizontal position and bestowed a look of pure gratitude and relief on his rescuer. In the spare room he threw himself on the bed and pressed his face into the pillow. "That bad?" Mike commiserated.

The only answer he got was a vigorous nod of a half hidden head. Then the muffled voice of his partner came out through the feathers. "I have changed my view on polygamy. No man should have to cope with more than one woman at a time. "

Mike suppressed a laugh and put on his best sympathetic voice. "After the ordeal of the day you must be exhausted, and I had hoped to get a bit of help from you with a case later on!"

Steve revived immediately and turned around. "Anything, Mike, I'd do anything at all to escape the nagging and boredom. It was either reading one of Jeannie's magazines or playing Monopoly. And you know how Monopoly goes against the very grain of my liberal views." He chuckled. "Who knows, the article I read on how to keep your cuticles supple might come in handy someday." Then he sighed. "I suppose Jeannie and Irene were meaning well, but it is almost sickening to see them so chirpy…"

Mike tried to keep a straight face as he listened to the young man's tale of woes. From an untouched plate on the bedside table he kept handing Steve crackers that the patient absentmindedly nibbled. "There now, you have eaten them all! I'll bring you a cup of tea in a minute and after you've had a bit of a rest, we'll discuss the case!" Mike exclaimed.

Steve nodded sleepily. "Maybe I should apologize to Jeannie and Irene for being so stubborn and grumpy."

"Well, maybe that would be a good idea, it being Christmas and all… You know, peace and goodwill to all men…"

"And women!" Steve added before he dropped off to sleep.

Mike came out of the room with a grim expression on his face. "Now, sweetheart, he won't be hassling you again. I gave the young cad a piece of my mind!"

Jeannie looked at him, blue eyes wide with disbelieve. "Oh Mike, how could you! He's sick and feeling miserable and it's not really his fault that he's been difficult." She covered her mouth. "Oh! You didn't really, did you?" She giggled. "I suppose I should tell him I'm sorry for being so unkind and unsympathetic!"

Mike and Irene exchanged a glance.

"Come to think of it, maybe it would be a nice thing to do!" Mike said innocently.

He rubbed his hands. "Now, will we do the tree before or after we've eaten?"


	7. Chapter 7

_**December 1971, Saturday 25**__**th**__**: Turkey Soup and Tea**_

Mike felt fairly confident that his three housemates would still be alive and in reasonably good Christmas cheer by the time he returned from doing his shift in the office. Over soft boiled eggs and dry toast he had laid down some ground rules to make sure the cabin fever wouldn't break out again during his absence. He had left a list of chores and suggested some games appropriate for the season that did _not_ include Monopoly. Steve had volunteered to go over the statistics again and type up the hopefully final version.

The office was blessedly quiet. To Mike's great relief nobody had been strangled with fairy lights or clobbered with a Christmas tree. All incidents had been straightforward with immediate arrests and plenty of witnesses.

Mike enjoyed his first cup of coffee of the day - Steve's system still couldn't cope with the smell of coffee, so the banned substance tasted all the better now.

Mike picked up the report that Steve had written the night before and skimmed through it, then started again and studied it carefully. Something wasn't right there. Okay, Steve certainly wasn't at his best, but the transcript of the interview with the elderly neighbor had more holes than Swiss cheese. _Or had the neighbor been too poorly for a proper interview?_ Mike looked out of the window - the day was lovely and bright. _Why not pay the old gentleman a visit on Christmas Day and plug some of the holes?_

* * *

The grateful smile on the old man's face almost made working on Christmas Day worthwhile for Mike. After his horrible experience with the unmentionable bug, Mr Travis had been reluctant to accept any invitation for Christmas, as he wasn't sure if he was still infectious. Mike put him at ease. "Don't worry about me; I'm immune to it, honestly!" They chatted over a cup of tea - like Steve Mr Travis seemed unable to bear the smell of coffee - before Mike took the transcript out of his briefcase. "I would like to go over your testimony with you again, if you don't mind?"

A clearer picture of the victim emerged. A nice and friendly neighbor, but unfortunately very fond of fast women and slow horses. Every so often Travis had helped out in an acute emergency and always got his money back, even if it took a long time. The way it looked someone else didn't have the patience of the old neighbor. "He was a good chap, but weak, very weak. Every time he was in trouble he swore he'd give up gambling, but the resolution never lasted long." Travis sighed. "I will miss him; he was a great for helping me out with yard work and little repairs. I wonder if he would still be alive if I had been around to help him out?" The old man seemed genuinely sad about the violent end of his neighbor. Mike kept questioning him about visitors and unusual happenings next door. In the end he decided to bring the old man to the bureau to browse mug shots of moneylenders and their heavies.

After Al Travis had flicked through five hefty volumes and identified a few possible suspects, Mike finally managed to prise Gerry O'Brien, the Assistant DA away from his Christmas dinner.

"Oh no, Mike, at this stage we just suspect a homicide. There is not much we can do unless we have the results of the post-mortem. I thought it was a break in gone bad?"

"According to the neighbor our victim was into gambling."

"Yeah, yeah, or he just tripped and fell when he tried to accost a burglar. I need more, Mike, and you know it!" O'Brien scoffed. "Since when is it the job of the Captain to organize an arrest warrant?"

"Isn't the Captain always the last man standing?" Mike joked and ended the phone call.

Lessing had come in to take over the shift and the Captain was free to leave the sinking ship.

"Now, Al, would you like to join me and my family for Christmas Dinner? You can be sure you won't infect anyone and it will be right up your alley! Last update on the menu I got was Turkey soup, crackers and tea. There is even a possibility of Jell-O for dessert, but there was no majority vote on the flavor so far. How does that sound?"

**_December 1971, Sunday 26th: The Return of the Vomiting Victims_**

After a surprisingly nice and fun filled evening with the promised Turkey soup - Irene's idea of using at least some of the Christmas turkey - and games, they all had been sorry to see Al leave. While Jeannie and Irene settled down for a last game of Monopoly, Steve proudly presented the neatly typed statistics.

"Actually, I had a great idea about simplifying the process." He started to explain.

"No, buddy boy, don't go overboard now or Rudy will never buy it that I had put it together!" Mike cautioned. Then he patted Steve's arm. "But I won't let you die of boredom tomorrow; you can type up the notes of the interview I did this afternoon with Al."

Mike chuckled at the memory and he wondered how long his partner would be so obliging. He secretly hoped that Jeannie and Irene's craze for Monopoly would at least last for another day.

* * *

Mike had arrived early at the Bureau, as he wasn't sure what the staffing situation might be like and he had let the convalescents sleep in. He was just at the point of putting on a pot of coffee when Haseejian and Tanner walked in. He held up the pot questioningly and saw two heads shaking simultaneously. He sighed and settled for a glass of water from the water cooler in the corner. Haseejian was simply overjoyed to get out of the confines of his apartment. Mike came to the conclusion that cabin fever didn't necessarily require cabin mates.

Tanner, on the other hand, saw going back to work as a lucky break. In spite of his best efforts his wife and young son had caught it too and so his mother in law had to be called in to help them out. He considered her home cures to be worse than the disease itself.

The next pleasant surprise was that the sick count in Robbery had come to a standstill as well.

By ten o'clock most of the Homicide Inspectors had arrived at the bureau. Mike was touched by the dedication of his team. He called a quick meeting and assigned the two fittest detectives for questioning the possible suspects that Al had identified. Then he asked for two reasonably healthy men to staff the office for the rest of the day. He sincerely thanked everybody else for coming in and asked them to report back for normal duty on Monday.

After a quick stop in the Captain's office to go through the most urgent documents, Mike decided to go home himself and enjoy an afternoon in the company of his nearest and dearest. He didn't dare to hope for a quiet glass of something or other - even herbal tea - alone with Irene, but a man can dream, he thought. He knew that a nap on the sofa would be more realistic, if he could move Steve away from his favourite haunt for an hour or two…

With this thought he went back to his temporary office and picked up a folder with drafts of letters that Janet had meant to type up before she got sick.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N**: The credit for the idea with the missing body goes to Mounty Swiss. always there for bouncing off ideas! _

_**December 1971, Monday 27**__**th**__**: The Strange Case of the Missing Body**_

"Oh, come on, Bernie, I know you are busy, but unless I get the results of the post-mortem, I have no case. The perp had too much time to fabricate an alibi already. Yeah, I really appreciate it! Thanks for bumping my case up to the top. Yeah, I certainly owe you!" Mike put down the receiver, happy with what he had achieved.

He glanced around, glad to see that bar Steve and Larry Mullen, all detectives in Homicide had returned to work. Some of the men were still looking a bit shook up, but Mike was confident that he had enough staff in both Robbery and Homicide to deal with all that life could throw at him.

Irene was back at work today as well. Mike smiled when he remembered how nice it had been to have breakfast with Irene and give her a lift to work. As anticipated he never got a quiet moment with her the day before, with Jeannie and Steve around until the convalescing Irene was too tired to stay up any longer.

His pleasant thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. "Stone!" he barked, and then he listened to the person at the other end of the line for a while. His face turned red and his eyes bulged. "What do you mean there is no body? A body is too big to be mislaid! If it was the file… _What?_ The file is missing, too? So are you trying to tell me that the stiff from Tuesday upped and left and brought his paperwork with him?" All faces in the bull pen were turned towards Mike's office. He checked his voice. "Okay, Bernie, I understand that you were dealing with extraordinary circumstances and so were we. I'll try and find out what happened up here and I'll get back to you."

He looked around in disbelief.

Roy Devitt walked in and saw Mike in the office, which was nominally his for the time being. He flinched.

"Roy! Just the man I wanted to see! We seem to have a baffling case that concerns Homicide and Robbery. A missing corpse…." Mike greeted his colleague.

"Please tell me this is a joke to get back at me for my feeble attempt of humor," Devitt replied in mock horror.

"Afraid not, Roy, though I can smell a prank!"

Mike related all that he knew so far. "From the morgue's point of view, they never received the body. No documentation and no unaccounted-for body in the cooler. The number of bodies tallies with their paperwork. On the other hand Bernie is aware that there was a homicide, as he was out there himself and did the preliminary on the victim."

Norm Haseejian came closer. "I can account for the stiff. There was definitely a body there and we even have the photos to prove it." He alluded to a case of Chief Ironside's right hand man, who had dealt with a body gone missing, very much to the delight of Mullen who had been called out to the crime scene. None of his colleagues had liked the way he riled Ed Brown and gloated. *

Norm continued, "Unless the ambulance crew took him to the wrong place… You know, things got a bit hectic when we got back here, I'm not sure what happened to the paperwork in the first place." Norm was apologetic.

"I know that and I don't think either you or Steve did something wrong, but let's go through this again," Mike assured.

All they could establish was that the body was whisked off by an ambulance.

Mike and Roy sat down and looked at each other, while Norm tried to locate the ambulance crew to find out where they had taken the body. Mike's fingers drummed an angry rhythm on the desk. "As if we didn't have enough real crimes to deal with!"

"Wait a minute, Mike, do you want to imply that I wasn't on top of things?"

"No, Roy, not at all, but don't you smell a rat, too? Doesn't this remind you too much of Ed's missing body and remember the fun some idiots knocked out of it? Let's go down to the morgue and do some detecting ourselves!"

They were met by a very upset Bernie. "Mike, I can't explain this! The numbers are right but something is definitely wrong here. See this release form?" He handed Mike a sheet of paper. "We have no PM record of a corpse with this ID number."

Mike glanced over the paper. "You mean a body was released to the relatives for cremation without a post-mortem?" There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. _No body, no case!_ _Whoever made the mistake, would have to face serious consequences._

Bernie nodded uncomfortably. "Mike, look at the signature on the form."

Mike looked again. "Steven Keller. No, even Steve being sick wouldn't make such a blunder." He scrutinized the signature and the form closely. "It looks like his signature alright, but the timing is wrong! Could he have written this before Norm brought him home sick?"

Devitt took the sheet out of Mike's hand. "I sure hope you're right, Mike. It could be a forgery. I say someone could have used a release form that Steve filled in and doctored it. But why? Why would someone want to set up the kid?" Devitt was aghast.

"A prank, I hope, and God help the person who did it!" Mike threatened.

Bernie watched with a mix of consternation and relief. As long as he wasn't responsible for mislaying a body…

"Now, guys, let's get this cleared up pronto. Bernie, I need to use the phone! We have to establish a time-line!" Mike took control.

He switched the phone to speaker, so that Bernie and Roy could listen in and rang Haseejian to find out when the team had left for the crime scene and when Steve had returned to the bureau.

"Mike, the kid looked quite green around the gills by the time he came back here. He started to do the paperwork alright and mumbled something about you wanting him to release a body to their relatives and that he never got to finish the job this morning. Before he could get stuck into it, he started running to the bathroom and I took him home. Come to think of it, when I returned I couldn't find any paperwork on his desk, so I assumed someone brought it down to the morgue!"

"Norm, are you sure he wasn't at the morgue at all?"

"Positive! I distinctly remember that he started chucking up when I mentioned the morgue."

"And you, Norm, did you go there at all?"

"No, as the paperwork was gone I concentrated on going back to canvas the neighborhood again."

"Now, Bernie, my friend, who brought the virus into the morgue? I am no wiser on that, but I have a fair idea where we might find our stiff. "

* * *

*Ironside, season 5, ep 10:"When a body sees a body"


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: **The characters Larry Mullen and Ed Brown don't belong to me, they are borrowed from "the TV show Ironside" and will be returned completely unharmed!_

_**December 1971, Tuesday, 28**__**th**__**: A Mystery Solved**_

To Mike and everybody else's delight, Homicide was fully staffed once more, and had it not been for the unresolved case of the missing body, things just might have gone back to normal.

Steve had discretely distributed all the paperwork he had neatly typed to the appropriate desks and then started working quietly at his own desk. Roy and Mike were deep in conversation with another person in the Lieutenant's office behind closed blinds. All seemed to be business as usual.

At five minutes to nine, Larry Mullen came in, slightly out of breath. "Hi guys! Did anyone else catch the bug of our Typhoid Steve? "

"Better ask who didn't!" Healy answered without looking up. "Seems to me though you are the last one who recovered and you are certainly looking well!"

Mullen chose to ignore his colleague's acerbic remark. He addressed Steve in a mocking tone, "What's the story, Boy Wonder? Have you solved your first murder case without the help of your father figure?"

Steve didn't rise to the bait. "There are still a few uncertainties."

Norm chimed in, "Like the whereabouts of the body!"

Mullen started laughing out loud. "I don't believe this! Mike is barely gone and the youngster is messing up big time already. He brings back a virus but not the body. What do you think, will daddy still protect you when he finds out how you botched the job big time? "Mullen stopped abruptly when he saw Mike Stone coming out of his accustomed office.

"You're right, Larry, I will be hard pressed to protect anyone who is responsible for such a blunder. We are talking about a disciplinary inquiry here." The acting Captain sounded stern.

Mullen suppressed a self-satisfied grin.

"The only thing we know for certain at this stage is that Steve Keller is not responsible for the blooper. He was never in the morgue that day," Mike added.

"Oh come on, he signed the wrong release form, didn't he?" Mullen insisted.

Mike's voice sounded frighteningly friendly. "And how would you know about a release form?"

Larry stammered, "Ah, someone rang me to tell me about the commotion. You know, office gossip, it is kinda funny, isn't it, like…"

Ed Brown, Chief Ironside's right hand man stepped out of the office. "Yeah, I suppose as funny as Ed Brown losing a body. That's what you wanted to say, isn't it, Larry?"

Norm got up from his desk, too and closed in on Mullen. "The funniest thing though is how the virus ended up in the morgue. I brought the kid home before he could go down, and I didn't go down there either." He looked around, a lot of heads nodded in agreement.

Steve spoke up at last. "You were in the bathroom when I first got sick, I remember that! You must have been the first one who caught it off me! "

"So what? Everybody caught it off you!"

"Whoever took the forms that were on my desk and brought them to the morgue more than likely brought the virus there too," Steve maintained.

Tanner looked at Mullen with a murderous expression on his face. "You did pick up something from Steve's desk, I saw you!"

"Sure, calm down, guys, I did bring the paperwork down. Is it a crime to help a sick colleague out?"

"No, but it is a crime to falsely accuse a colleague!" Ed declared.

"Is it my fault that the college boy is too thick to fill in a form?" Mullen tried to defend himself. "He probably mixed up the ID numbers of the old case he was supposed to release and the new corpse that was coming in!"

"Yep, our new body, Mr. Taylor, to give him his proper name, was actually found in the drawer allocated to Mr. Blake, who was due to be released for cremation to his family," Roy explained.

"Now then!" Larry sighed. "No harm done! The missing body was found. I suppose the kid wasn't feeling too well and we should show some compassion. You know, his first case without supervision…"his voice trailed off.

"How come the paperwork for Mr. Taylor was in your desk drawer when you said you brought it to the morgue?" Ed Brown asked sternly.

"How dare you rifle through my desk? You're not even part of this department!" Mullen accused.

"It was me who checked, actually," said Mike, still deceptively friendly. "The release form that went missing from Steve's desk did make its way to the Morgue, though slightly altered. You don't need a graphologist to see that it is filled in by two different hands. But I'm sure an expert can tell for sure who wrote the misleading information. I have no doubt that everybody here would gladly give a sample of their handwriting for elimination purposes."

Everybody bar Larry Mullen nodded in agreement.

Mullen threw up his arms in despair. "It was a joke; I just swapped the ID tags on their toes and the labels on the drawers around. No harm done to the family of the deceased! I meant to bring the paperwork back after a day or two. I only wanted to let the little upstart sweat a bit, and I never meant to cause him any real trouble…" Mullen defended himself and dug his hole deeper with every word he said.

"Yeah, you just wanted to humiliate someone and gloat," Ed said harshly. "Have you forgotten to tip off the press this time?"

Mullen looked down. Ed wasn't sure if he was ashamed of his tasteless prank or embarrassed about being caught out.

"Mike, in my position as Lieutenant here in Homicide I would like to deal with this individual privately in my office," Roy requested.

"You do that, Roy, and after you chewed him up and spat him back out, will you send what is left of him to the Captain's office? There is still the matter of holding up a murder investigation and obstructing justice," Mike added sweetly.

When Roy and Larry Mullen had disappeared, he affectionately cuffed the back of Steve's head. "I hope this will teach you a lesson, buddy boy! How often have I told you that the _last_ thing you do when you fill in a form is sign it!"


	10. Chapter 10

_**December 1971, Wednesday 29**__**th**__**: Routine, Sweet Routine!**_

It was with a spring in his step that Mike walked into the office on Wednesday morning. All was well in the world, the only bitter drop in his sweet cup of life was the fact that Irene had prior commitments for the New Year and was actually going away for a few days.

At Rudy's desk his gaze fell on the folder containing the neatly typed end of year statistics. His hand patted the folder proudly. _You can't beat buddy boy when it comes to stringing words together and adding up numbers. I can see a great future for the kid._

Rudy's secretary had been delighted too, that her in-tray had been worked clear. Then he noticed another folder and he stopped smiling. The disciplinary action on Larry Mullen… Steve had been the one who spoke up for his colleague and asked Mike to treat it as a silly prank. But Mike felt that a bully needed his comeuppance, although he had come to the conclusion of not passing the file higher up the line - yet. In some ways keeping it in his drawer gave him something to hang over Mullen's head which might turn out to be a better form of punishment than an official reprimand.

He certainly missed the action in the bull pen, but resigned himself for now to prepare for another meeting, when the phone rang.

"Hi Al, nice to hear from you. Have you fully recovered? Yeah, my lot too, all back doing their usual things. Not at all, we certainly enjoyed having you for Christmas dinner. You remembered WHAT?"

Mike grabbed pen and paper and started scribbling. "Thanks, Al, thanks, that might be the breakthrough we needed. Just go out there and don't let anyone near that car. We'll be over in a few minutes!"

He ran over to Homicide. "Steve! Get a forensic team to the Taylor place. Al just remembered that one of the guys he saw going into the house next door checked if Taylor's car was locked. _Without _gloves!"

Steve grabbed the phone. Norm went over to Mike and said. "It's okay, boss, my partner and I will take care of this, the case is in good hands, and you can concentrate on your next meeting."

Mike sighed and checked his watch. Yep, the next meeting was due - overdue…

Before he turned to leave he fired a parting shot at Steve: "Mind you buddy boy, don't pick up anything that is not yours, especially not another virus!"

Mike neither saw nor heard from Haseejian or Steve until late in the afternoon, when he could not contain his curiosity any longer and wandered over to the office in search of coffee and information. He felt a slight pang of envy when he saw Roy in the Lieutenant's office, at his desk, Norm on the visitor's chair and Steve leaning in the corner against the filing cabinet, chewing sunflower seeds and littering the top of the filing cabinet with the shells. _Yes, all back to normal! _ All three appeared to be in a celebratory mood.

"Hi, Mike!" Roy greeted him. "We were actually going to see you, right after we finished our coffee. We have the breakthrough at last."

"Yes, Travis came up with the goods. We got some nice fingerprints and hit pay dirt. They belong to a guy called Jed Baxter," Norm explained.

"And Al identified him as one of the guys he saw hanging around Taylor's house. That was enough for Gerry to come up with the arrest warrant. Confronted with the evidence against him, Baxter started singing like a canary and put the blame on his crony," Steve added while chewing on some sunflower seeds.

Mike was at the point of adding a scathing remark about canary birds and seeds, but the trio didn't give him a chance to get a word in.

"But all of this is O'Brien's problem now. We've done our bit!" Roy concluded.

Steve slurped a mouthful of coffee to wash down the sunflower seeds and winced. His digestive system still wasn't really up to processing Haseejian coffee. He looked at Mike closely and tried to read the ever so slightly resentful expression on his face.

"But I think if you hadn't invited Al for Christmas dinner and told him all the stories about how often a crime is solved using small pieces of evidence, he may not have remembered the little details like the prints on the door handle."

Mike winked at him. At least someone appreciated his bit in solving the case! He decided to postpone the lecture on the proper disposal of sunflower seed debris for at least a day.


	11. Chapter 11

_**January 1972, New Year's Day: How the Mighty Can Fall**_

"But Mike, we had that planned for ages! Don't be such a spoilsport. Besides, I'm travelling back to college tomorrow, so today will be my last opportunity." Jeannie was dismayed. "We were supposed to go last Monday but you kept Steve working late. You promised you'd make it up to me!"

"Of course, sweetheart, but why does it have to be ice skating? Why don't you kids go to the cinema or if it has to be something cold, go for an ice cream instead?"

Jeannie's face showed no signs of relenting.

"How about cinema _and_ ice cream, my treat?" her father offered.

His daughter still looked very cross and her foot tapped an angry rhythm on the floor of the kitchen where the three were sitting over a late breakfast.

"Steve, say something will you?" Mike begged.

His partner only grinned. "What am I supposed to say? I promised to teach Jeannie how to skate and a promise is a promise. Don't you trust me with your daughter?"

"I trust you with my life, buddy boy but you know, you've had the flu and then the other virus and you're still not really well…"

"In other words, you don't trust me to catch your daughter if she slips!"

"No, but… yes but! Darn it, with the bad luck you've recently had, I'm afraid something will happen to the both of you!"

Jeannie laughed out loud and kissed her father on the cheek. "You old worry wart. What should happen to us on the ice rink?"

Mike was ready to capitulate. "You could fall or Steve could catch another cold or… Okay, I give up, but under one condition: I'm coming with you!"

Steve looked uncomfortable and Mike eyed him suspiciously. "Am I interfering with your hidden agenda, mister?"

Steve feigned a look of annoyance. "Mike, what do you think I am? I have no doubt in my mind that I'll be physically capable of catching Jeannie, but I don't think I could hold you up when _you_ fall…"

"_If_ I fall! Did I never tell you about all the ice skating I did in my younger years? We obviously haven't done enough stake-outs together!"

Steve was still not quite convinced. "In your _younger_ days…"

Mike grabbed him by the neck and shook him. "Cheeky, aren't you? Let's go then and see who takes the first fall. First one to go down pays for the coffee afterwards!"

* * *

Jeannie, with Steve's arm firmly placed around her, soon began to enjoy herself immensely. She almost felt sorry when Steve pronounced her steady enough to be held by the hand only. Mike, in the meantime, reacquainted himself with the slippery ice. _Boy, oh boy, I don't remember the ice being so slippery when I went skating with Helen. It must be the modern skates or maybe the way they treat the ice nowadays._

He let go of the barrier tentatively but grabbed hold of it again. He watched Steve and Jeannie going around in steady circles and he was almost overwhelmed with pride. How fast his little girl had picked up skating and Steve - fair play to the kid, he had let go of her waist as soon as she was steady. _Unlike some other young man we once knew, Mike,_ he reminded himself.

Jeannie beamed and beckoned towards her father to come and join them as they glided past him. Mike took a deep breath and pushed himself off the barrier. After a few wobbly strides he found his balance and skated towards Steve and Jeannie_. Not too bad for an old man,_ he congratulated himself as he approached the two young people. He even picked up a little speed when all of a sudden he realized he was coming too close too fast with no brakes. He crashed into the couple and all three landed in a heap on the ice. Steve disentangled himself first and hoisted the helplessly giggling Jeannie up. He led her towards the barrier, where she stood, doubled over laughing. Then he went back for Mike, who was still sitting on the ice, looking a bit shamefaced. "Well, at least I wasn't the first one to hit the ice, buddy boy. I think you may have landed there a fraction of a second earlier," he joked.

"Yeah, because you slammed into me like a tank engine, just to keep the record straight. Here, let me help you up." The younger man held out his hand.

Mike hesitated.

"Come on, I was only joking when I said I couldn't hold you. "

Mike still didn't move and Steve was getting concerned. "Mike, are you alright?"

He answered, slightly irritated. "Yes, I'm alright but my left ankle isn't, but don't you dare to make any funny remarks now, my hands are in excellent working order!"

Steve snorted and averted his face quickly. "Okay, Mike, in spite of your hands being in working order, I think I'll better stand behind you and try and lift you up that way."

After a few efforts, Steve managed to haul the injured man to his feet, or rather to his foot. The left ankle couldn't bear any weight at all. Supported by Steve, they covered the short distance to the exit. Steve urged Mike to sit down on a bench as he kneeled down in front of his friend to take the boot off.

"Be careful! What do you think you're doing?" Mike hissed through clenched teeth.

"Taking your boot off, Mike, before we have to cut it off. I'm sure you wouldn't want to pay for a replacement, would you?" Steve was unfazed.

"Sorry, buddy boy, don't mind me!" Mike felt sorry for his outburst already_. No fool like an old fool._ He thought ruefully.

In the meantime, Jeannie had skated carefully towards the exit and looked at the scene playing out in front of her. Wide eyed, her urge to giggle suddenly vanished as she caught the pained expression on her father's face and the look of concern etched on his protégé's.

"Steve, what can I do?" She asked immediately.

"Take the skates off and see if you can get me some ice from the first aid kit in the main office to cool the ankle. Then could you get our shoes and stuff from the locker so we can go to the hospital as soon as possible."

She nodded and went about her tasks straight away.

"Hospital! Don't be ridiculous now, Steve," Mike grumbled.

"The ankle needs to be x-rayed and at least strapped up properly." The younger man tried to fight back the laughter that was rising deep in his belly, when he remembered a similar conversation a few days ago. "May I remind you, Mike? Just for once, do what I say and don't argue!"

Mike kept quiet and acknowledged that this round went to Steve.

"But, Mike!" Jeannie wailed. "How can I go back to college when you need help!"

"Need help? Whatever for? All l I did was sprain my ankle!" Mike grumbled.

"Jeannie, he's right!" Steve supported his mentor. "He'll need a bit of a hand hobbling around for a day or two and some help with driving. Nothing I couldn't do! You know I have a dab hand with the can opener and nobody beats me at ordering take out!" This time Steve didn't hold back his wide grin. "You know, Mike has been so dedicated looking after me when I was sick, I really can't wait to pay back his kindness!"

Mike thought he detected an evil twinkle in Steve's eyes…


	12. Chapter 12

_**January 1972, Monday 9**__**th**__**: The Reign of Terror Comes to an End**_

True to his word, Steve took his nursing duties seriously and what surprised Mike most was that the young man didn't take much advantage of his dominant position. With the help of Steve and a walking stick he managed to get back to the office on Monday to finish his last week as Rudy's substitute.

Thankfully the end of his stint as Captain was not as eventful as the previous two weeks, just the ordinary crimes and criminals to deal with, the frequent planning and evaluation meetings he had to attend, but there were very few occasions where he couldn't keep the sore leg elevated. So, by the time Rudy returned from his holidays, tanned and well rested, Mike's ankle was almost as good as new.

"Do you realize now how lucky you were!" Rudy exclaimed when he heard the story of the sprained ankle. "You could do all the paper pushing to your heart's content with the bad leg propped up on a chair. No way you could have gone after the bad guys out on the streets!" Rudy was happy that his replacement had worked out so well. "And look at the statistics, I can't believe it you managed to do all of them, but then again, Mike, I never doubted for a minute that you wouldn't meet my expectations!"

While Mike didn't interrupt the eulogy, he also refrained from saying anything that would enlighten Rudy about what _really_ happened in his absence. He would hear about the Vomiting Bug and the missing body through the grapevine soon enough. And Haseejian had most likely tortured some information out of Steve about the provenance of the statistics, too. He gladly packed his few belongings in a shoebox, among them the disciplinary action against Mullen and hobbled along the hall, back to Homicide where he belonged…

He was greeted with loud cheers when he entered the bull pen. If anything, the difficult time had knitted the team closer together than before.

Steve jumped up to carry the box for Mike and appeared very relieved that his partner was back. He followed him into the office, closed the door behind him and sank in his usual chair. "I'm so glad you're back! Don't think you were the only one that had a tough time!" he sighed.

Mike could sense a story there, but he decided to leave it be for the moment. He had a fair idea of what could have been going on during his absence, knowing Haseejian's great love for a bet and a good card game. He had also noticed that the seasoned Armenian detective, during his short tenure as Steve's partner, had taken on educating the rookie cop in matters that he felt Mike may have neglected. _He probably cleared him out of a week's salary but it might teach him to be less trusting…_

Trusting, gullible or just young and inexperienced, he would have to speak to him about the shells of the sunflower seeds, but not today!

_**June 1973**_

Even now, eighteen months later, memories of that fateful saga brought back to mind the whole extent of the horrors they were subjected to. Steve went white, swallowed and threw the rest of his sandwich to the pigeons. Just thinking about it made his stomach queasy.

"Oh, man, it was pretty tough, wasn't it?" Steve pondered.

"You can say that again, buddy boy!" Mike agreed.

"But you know, those were exceptional circumstances," Steve reminded him.

"Do you reckon?"

"Suppose so." Steve sounded doubtful.

"But who in his sane mind would run the risk of history repeating itself? Certainly not me!" Mike was adamant.

Steve was momentarily silent before he said, "You sure you won't regret this?" He tried to be the voice of reason against his deep inner conviction.

"Absolutely! The only thing I regret is that we can't worm our way into Norm's book. I bet you we could get great odds if we offered to predict the time and date when I tell Rudy where he can stick the job! All we need is an innocent looking straw man. We'll have to cut him in, of course…"

"But Mike, wouldn't that be cheating?" Steve asked timidly.

"Cheating, my dear boy? This is just taking advantage of an illegal activity. Serves him right, the old shark! Now, get your thinking cap on. Who do you reckon we should use? Irene? No, too obvious. I've got it! Lenny!"


End file.
